


Revealing Secrets

by Lucicelo



Category: As Told By Ginger
Genre: Angst, Betrayal, Breaking Friendship, Drama, Family, Frustration, Gen, Giving Up, Hope, Infection, Lies, Medical Conditions, Plans, Selfishness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:20:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27869833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucicelo/pseuds/Lucicelo
Summary: Taking place during, Dodie's Big Break, Ginger and Macie give up trying to expose Dodie to focus on themselves.
Kudos: 3





	Revealing Secrets

**Author's Note:**

> I ended up rewatching Dodie's Big Break and let's just say that I wanted Ginger and Macie to break off their friendship. I feel like Mrs. Bishop knew that Dodie was faking, because that woman is similar to her daughter in her quest for popularity. And, she wouldn't have ignored the fact Dodie was going around in a wheelchair.
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> -Lucicelo

When Ginger caught Dodie doing a handstand, she wanted to _faint_ on the spot. Her fragility from her appendicitis surgery and the surge of emotions made her _weak_ on her feet.

Despite her own pain, she worried _endlessly_ for Dodie after she broke her leg. Her best friend was hurt and she wanted nothing more than to take that pain away. Even if Ginger's surgical spot _ached_ and _pulsated_ from the constant rubbing of her skirt, she wanted to stick beside her and help her out. Dodie was so excited to be the mascot and was thrilled to be close to the cheerleader position. To have a broken leg meant that Dodie was done being the mascot for the season.

She could only imagine the _devastation_ on Dodie's face.

Dodie worked hard to get into that position only for it to get taken away.

When Ginger and Macie first saw Dodie at school, she was _beaming_ and _ecstatic_ over the attention from the pep squad. The young ladies felt _bad_ in having caused her injury. Despite the fact that _Dodie_ caused the initial fall, the team and the coach took her under their wing. Nothing deterred the cheerleaders from sticking to Dodie's side. The glimpses of Dodie, from between the pep squad members, showed Ginger that she _loved_ the attention.

Throughout the day, those same girls made a barrier around Dodie. Dodie feigned ignorance to her surroundings in order to keep the cheerleaders from leaving her sight. She preened at being spoken to by the popular girls.

Her _best friends_ were all but forgotten.

Apparently, Ginger and Macie didn't matter when the _possibility_ of popularity _loomed_ on the horizon. They were _not_ important enough. Then again, they _shouldn't_ be surprised at Dodie's behavior. Dodie _always_ commented on their nerd status and how they shouldn't hold a bff back from _greatness._

Dodie previously _ditched_ her _bffs_ for a sliver of a chance of becoming popular.

But, the pair couldn't help their surprise at seeing Dodie writhing on the floor. She clutched her leg, making _pathetic_ whining sounds as she defended herself. Macie and Ginger kept looking down at her. The spectacle just didn't seem real to their eyes.

Macie almost jumped in, concerned about carpet burn, but Ginger held her back. She glared down at Dodie over the realization that Dodie _lied._ Dodie glared back at her, almost resentful of her lie being exposed. Although, Ginger couldn't find it in herself to care about Dodie's feelings. Her appendix burst, caused _immense_ indescribable pain, yet Dodie's _lie_ brought her the _reward_ of being a pep squad member.

It _wasn't_ fair.

Ginger pushed herself through her classes because real life didn't stop for anyone. Her teachers were not understanding of her weakness after surgery and told her to plan her timing better. Even with her doctor's note, insisting that Ginger took it easy, they all ignored it.

Ginger didn't control herself as she spoke. She threw Dodie's lie in her face and told her to reveal it or she would do it.

Smug, Dodie informed Ginger that she was safe from speculation. None of the girls turned against the other. They were a collective force against _anyone_ who tried discrediting them. Dodie was self assured of her safety.

Dodie and Ginger glared at each other.

Macie tried to defuse the situation, but was unable to.

* * *

Macie and Ginger went through different scenarios to showcase Dodie's lies.

It shouldn't have been that hard, but _nothing_ worked.

Sure, they could have let it go and _forgot_ about _discovering_ Dodie's _secret._ After years of friendship, they covered for one another when they did something they were not supposed to. Even if one of the trio was wrong, they went along with the plan because they were _bffs._ Nothing could tear them apart.

But, Ginger and Macie began having doubts of their importance to Dodie.

Their doubts grew _stronger_ after each of their plans failed.

None of the pep squad girls believed Ginger or Macie when they attempted to expose Dodie. Whenever they tried _anything,_ Dodie cried _foul_ and acted _pitiful_ to pull at their heart strings. Something Macie and Ginger realized in the parking lot when the pep squad girls accused them of _bullying_. Dodie _smirked_ at them from the car as the driver drove away.

No matter what they tried, Dodie got away with her lies.

Dodie used these girls against her own friends in order to keep her place in the squad. They were not her new friends. Oh not at all. The _collective_ guilt of the pep squad brought on Dodie's defense force. Maybe, it was fear that Dodie's parents might make a scene at school because the pep squad _injured_ their daughter.

No one could tell Dodie anything without them jumping in.

It grew tiring real fast.

* * *

During lunchtime, Ginger informed Macie. "I'm done, Mace."

Macie turned to Ginger. "What do you mean?"

Poking at her sandwich, Ginger shrugged her shoulders. "Look at us? We're spending our time trying to expose Dodie when we could be doing other things. We haven't hung out together because we keep trying to push Dodie to tell the truth." She grimaced as her side hurt when she bent forward. "I'm supposed to be taking it easy in school and I'm worrying about Dodie and her lies."

Grinning, Macie nudged Ginger's better side with her elbow. "Good. I was running out of plans to trap Dodie. I have to say, she's _craftier_ than a fox. I didn't think Dodie could manage to keep it up for this long."

Ginger chuckled. "Yeah..."

Macie brightened up. "Look at the bright side, Dodie will come back with us. She never has to worry about her bffs running off on her if she's unpopular. We're _that_ loyal."

Ginger's smile stiffened. "I'm not sure about that Mace." She noted the questioning look on Macie's face and explained herself. "Dodie does this every single time she gets new friends in the popular group. _What_? Are we supposed to be her _backup_ friends that she returns to when she's rejected _again?_ I think not. I'm tired of it."

Macie listened to Ginger's grievances. The more Ginger talked, the more Macie agreed with her. There were instances where Macie bit her tongue to keep herself from defending their importance to Dodie. After all their arguments and fights, Macie wanted them all to return back to normal. Their friendship spanned back to kindergarten, they couldn't lose one another over a misunderstanding. Sure, they fought and argued about whatever bothered them, but they talked and forgave one another.

They never failed to make up.

They were bffs for _life._

Yet, they couldn't hide the fact that Dodie did _everything_ in her power to gain the popular girls attention. Her previous encouragement switched when it didn't happen to her as well. Case in point, Dodie encouraged Ginger's friendship with Courtney. When Courtney didn't acknowledge Dodie, she pushed her way in between Ginger and Courtney to get her attention. It never worked in Dodie's favor. Courtney never remembered Dodie or Macie's names. Macie found the name change funny, Dodie felt _insulted._

When Ginger dated Darren, Dodie ended up

"So...you will break up your friendship with Dodie?" Macie's voice cracked.

Ginger rubbed the back of her neck. "Well...not exactly...but, I need a break from her for a bit. I haven't been able to focus on recovering from my surgery because I wanted to expose her. Which is my fault, but the teachers are not making me feel any better."

"Oh."

"Macie, you don't have to follow my lead. You can keep being friends with Dodie."

Macie shook her head. "No. I...I ...kind of want to do the same. Dodie is _too focused_ on her _new_ _friends_ right now."

Ginger took a bite of her sandwich. "She won't miss us."

* * *

"Didn't you hear? That Bishop girl lied about hurting her leg?"

_"I did!"_

"How was she discovered?"

"Apparently, she didn't have the patience to get up the stairs and walked up. Pulling up her chair!"

"Wow! Did she really think someone wouldn't see her?"

"Who _saw_ her?"

"Yeah, who ended up _telling_ on her?"

"I think it was Simone? _No_! It was-"

"Nah, I heard it was-"

"Coach was _furious!_ She kicked her out and demanded her to have everything dry-cleaned before it was returned. Especially the _gopher_ costume!"

"What a loser!"

_"Loser!"_

"I knew Bishop was pathetic, but not _this_ pathetic."

* * *

As her daughter curled onto her bedspread, Joann rubbed her daughter's back. Crouched at her side, she felt sympathy for her daughter's plight. She suffered a similar fate when she managed to gain a piece of popularity in high school. Nothing she ever did worked in her favor. Once she grew up, she never gained any semblance of popularity ever again. Somehow, her bad luck blossomed into her daughter.

Dodie broke down into her arms when she returned home from school, devastated over being discovered in her lie. The wheelchair was left on its side on the grass, abandoned in Dodie's distress. Through her cries, Dodie explained that someone saw her walking up the stairs while pulling up her wheelchair. The person snapped photos with a disposable camera and handed them to the coach.

Luckily, Dodie wasn't sent to the principal's office. The pep squad coach took it upon herself to deal with her. After all, Dodie faked an injury, which wasn't anything _that_ terrible to get her in trouble. People faked injuries all the time for their own personal reasons or to gain attention. Dodie could have tried out for a proper position, but the pep squad felt betrayed by Dodie's lie and voted her out without issue.

At some point, Dodie stammered out that they needed to pay for dry cleaning, Joann reassured her about getting it done. Anything to soothe Dodie down from her wails. Dry cleaning a cheerleading outfit wasn't much, it was the mascot costume that would rise the price.

Her husband would pay for it without asking questions.

Joann thought back on the day they were in the hospital. She went to the hospital without her husband. He stayed home to wait for Robert to return home from school. In her panicked state, she demanded the doctor to figure out exactly what happened. After all, Dodie got injured on school campus and she would sue them for their neglectful safety practices.

Their family had a few lawyers who would jump in to take their case. Nothing was less important in their eyes. Family looked out for one another.

After the x-rays and physical examination, the doctor reassured them that Dodie's leg was fine. Nothing was wrong with it and she could return to school without issue. Dodie shook her head, insistent that she got injured from the pep squad falling on top of her. The ER doctor disagreed and discharged them without issue.

In a panic, Dodie turned to her mom and claimed she was injured. She swore she felt a twinge in her leg and she couldn't walk. Joann wanted to tell her not to exaggerate until Dodie told her about the pep squad members taking care of her before the ambulance arrived. How she was finally seen by the older girls and they wanted to know if she was okay.

An idea popped into Joann's head as she told Dodie what to do. After all, they kept an old wheelchair from the time Robert broke his leg. They could make use of it and not have to buy a brand new one. They could claim any level of severity for Dodie to continue on hanging around those girls. Besides, Dodie did have a bruise on her whole side from the pressure of the falling girls.

Best to exploit it until Dodie remained in a _permanent_ position after she _recovered._

It took one mistake to unravel everything.

Joann sighed. "You can always try out next year."

"B-But, mom!" Dodie bawled. "I can't try out ever again!"

Joann grimaced. Unless, the coach was changed to someone else, the threat would hold through.

She could have gone to the school and argued a case for her daughter, but everyone knew about her lie. It would be _useless_ for her to do _anything._ If only Dodie lasted a bit longer for them to figure out a plan to extent the leg injury idea.

"W-What am I going to do? Everyone is going to hate me when I go to school tomorrow."

Joann reassured her. "Everything will be fine. This will all blow over. Something always happens to take the mind off of the student body."

* * *

Laughter rang throughout the hallways of Lucky High School as Dodie rushed around with her head lowered. She blinked back tears of frustration as her pep squad friends turned against her. When someone made fun of her, none of them backed her up or told someone to shut up. Her place in the squad was _gone._ She couldn't get it back.

She visited the coach after school and begged her for her spot back. The woman shook her head and motioned for her to leave her office. Dodie kept on persisting to a point where the woman threatened a detention if she didn't stop.

Dodie didn't listen and received detention.

She spent a lunchtime crying inside of the school bathroom as a result.

* * *

Around lunchtime, Ginger called home through the school office, complaining about the stinging pain in her surgery spot. Answering some of her mom's questions, Ginger was assured an appointment with Doctor Dave and she'd pick her up after school. Her mom told her to take her medicine and stay hydrated.

Once she bumped into Macie in between classed, Ginger reassured Macie of her pain level as to not worry her. Macie insisted that she use the school's office to let her mom know that she was hurting. She knew Macie would freak out if she found out that her surgery spot was hurting her more than usual. It was easy. She _still_ looked sickly and frail from the surgery.

After school, Ginger rushed through with the intent of getting to her mom's car. Macie followed behind in order to walk Ginger to the car before she broke off for the bus. Although, they were stopped on their way down the stairs.

"Ginger!" Dodie ran up to Ginger. "You have to help me! _Please!"_

 _"Me?"_ Ginger inquired.

Dodie pleaded to Ginger. _"Y-yes!_ Ginger, please help me. I need someone to tell the coach to give me a chance. You always manage to get teachers to change their minds."

Thinking on her current problems, Ginger muttered. "Yeah right."

Dodie grasped Ginger's shoulders, almost shaking her. "Please, Ginger! All I ever wanted was to get into the pep squad."

 _"Ow!_ Dodie!" Ginger removed Dodie's hands from her shoulders and pushed them away from her. "I'm _still_ recovering. What is _wrong_ with you?!" Touching her side, Ginger winced. "Listen, you were the one who started this in the first place. You have to face the consequences."

"You're so _mean!"_

Macie couldn't it anymore. "Stop it, guys!" She got in between Dodie and Ginger with arms stretched wide. "Ginger is right. You didn't want to listen to our advice in the first place."

Dodie snapped at Macie, causing her to jump in place. "You _always_ take _her_ side!"

Macie shook her head. "No, I don't, Dodie. You know it, I know it. You're just mad that someone else caught you in your lie!"

Ginger looked beyond Macie and Dodie to see her mom pull up. "I have no time for this, I have to go." She hugged Macie goodbye before dodging Dodie's outstretched hands.

Macie exclaimed. "Bye, Ginger!"

Dodie stomped her foot with tears in her eyes. "Why does she _always_ do this to me?"

Macie frowned. "Dodie, stop it. If you're going to behave this way, we're not going to be friends anymore."

Almost as if she didn't believe her, Dodie gave Macie a long look before she harrumphed and walked away.

Feeling terrible, Macie twiddled with her fingers on the way to the bus stop. Throughout her ride home, she tried to find the right words to calm herself down. She wanted everything to go back to normal and for them not to argue. Although, it might not be possible due to Dodie's stubbornness over the whole issue.

* * *

"Wait...I have to stay home?" Ginger gaped.

Doctor Dave nodded his head. "Ginger, you aggravated the spot from overworking yourself in school. You have no choice but to stay home until the inflammation goes down and nothing is disturbed beyond the muscle wall."

Ginger stammered out. "B-but, my teachers _haven't_ given me a break from my appendicitis. I have to get to my classes in time or else I would get detention. I had to run to my classes. If I stay home, my homework will build up! I can't stay home!"

Lois snapped. _"Excuse me?_ Didn't you give them the note where it says that you have to take it easy until you are _cleared?"_

Wincing, Ginger hunched her shoulders. "Yeah...they didn't care, mom. I tried to tell them, but they said real life didn't stop because I had surgery. If I showed that I was in pain, they would brush it aside as attention seeking."

Lois saw _red._

Breathing through her nose, Lois addressed Dave. "Dave, how long can Ging stay home?"

Dave thought for moment before he answered. "Two weeks. More or less to make sure that there is no infection from the disruption of the surgical spot. It appears the school won't accommodate Ginger's recovery process."

Ginger cut in, insisting. "Doctor Dave, I can't miss school. Please, I can take care of myself."

Lois turned to Ginger and informed her. "I will have a talk with your principal and all your teachers. You're staying home. That's final."

Sharing extended eye contact, Ginger averted her eyes first and hunched her shoulders. "Okay."

* * *

When Ginger returned to school from her extended break, she saw Dodie's newest behavior. Sure, Macie told her during their nightly phone calls, but Ginger couldn't believe it. Until, she witnessed it for herself.

Dodie became a real gopher for the squad members. They all disliked her for her lies, but agreed to having someone to do everything they wanted. The surge of whispers between students didn't deter Dodie in her quest to gain _her squad_ back.

After Dodie lost her place on the squad, she simpered over the pep squad members. Since the coach lost her patience with her, Dodie didn't test the woman's patience. Best not to aggravate the coach of her future pep squad anymore than usual. She thought doing what the girls wanted or agreeing with everything they said would give her a good word of reference or even pity. Anything to push her chances.

The whole spectacle was worse during lunchtime.

At some point, Ginger averted her eyes. "Okay, I feel bad."

Suspicious of the contents of her lunch, Macie sniffed it. Her nose wrinkling from the unfamiliar smell. "But, not _that_ bad."

"Not that bad." Ginger sighed before popped her medicine into her mouth and washed it down with water. "I thought she would... I don't know... lose the drive and focus on other things."

Macie snorted. "No. I told you, Ginger. Dodie is deaf to anyone else ever since you left for your break. I tried to tell her not to do this, but she said this was the only way to soften those girls to like her again."

Ginger worried her lower lip. "Did she try calling you?"

"Nope. You?"

"No."

Macie and Ginger turned to the pep squad table and saw Dodie bringing a tray of drinks in her hands. She made it to the table without spilling, but another girl sent her away to grab her someone else. Dodie, smiling big, eagerly nodded her head and ran off to the lunch line again.

Macie and Ginger shook their heads before returning to their lunch.

**The end.**


End file.
